


just as things grow in fast movies

by SunshineScorpius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Boys In Love, M/M, Muggle AU, Scorpius is a librarian, Strangers to Lovers, again you see my obsession with disney, how many rambles can i get scorpius to go on in 1703 words challenge, it's their fav movie i don't make the rules, specifically Mulan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-30 15:03:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20774438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineScorpius/pseuds/SunshineScorpius
Summary: Albus has a crush on the blond-haired librarian and Rose is no longer letting him shy away in the corner.





	just as things grow in fast movies

_ **“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”** _  
_ **― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby** _

_ **#** _

“Uh… where’s the book?” Rose asked when Albus returned to their desk in the public library empty handed. Albus flushed red, sitting back in his chair and avoiding eye contact with his cousin.

“I was too short to reach it,” he mumbled in response, fiddling with his English homework – which for now was just an empty piece of paper as the book they needed to complete the essay was tucked away high on a shelf in the fiction section.

“So, why didn’t you ask for help?” Rose asked, pointing at the blond librarian that was currently sorting books in that section. He was tall, and had a ladder, but there was _no way_ Albus was going to ask the cute librarian – the boy he’d had a crush on since he moved to this stupid town – to get him a book off the top shelf because he was too short.

“I was too shy to ask him.” He muttered, shrugging and deciding to do his science homework instead. Rose groaned loudly, gaining the attention of a few other students around them. Then it seemed the words sunk in and she gaped at him.

“You have a crush on Scorpius Malfoy?” She whispered, a little too enthusiastically and a little too loudly.

Scorpius Malfoy was the same age as them, but Albus had never seen him round the school. They lived in a small town in Wiltshire - everyone knew everyone - with only one high school around, which meant Scorpius must have attended some private school somewhere. That was the only explanation Albus could think of anyway.

He and Rose often spent the weekend in the library since their A Levels had started, and Scorpius worked here every Saturday and Sunday, stacking the books up. Albus often avoided him, but only because he couldn’t keep his trap shut. Any time he had spoken to the other boy, he’d been awkward, dorky and quite frankly, purely embarrassing. Scorpius was kind though, and he never said anything about Albus’ less-than-normal behaviour whenever around him.

“A little,” he admitted, throwing his head onto the table with a loud bang.

He felt, rather than saw, Rose roll her eyes. “Go and talk to him,” she demanded.

Albus lifted his head. “What? No, no way!”

“Oh grow up, Albus! What’s the worst that could happen?”

“He could hear me!” He hissed. Rose started laughing, rolling her eyes at him the way she always did.

“We need that book, so go and get it please!”

Albus groaned, standing up dramatically and muttering an angered, “fine.”

Albus took a deep breath before he walked back into the fiction section, stopping in front of the ‘F’ section and looking up. There was the book, on the top shelf, way out of reach. Albus sighed and span on his heels to face Scorpius, who was flicking through a book on the cart in front of him.

“Ex- excuse me,” he coughed, covering up the awkwardness he felt. Scorpius jumped slightly – he clearly hadn’t seen him standing there – but smiled instantly. “I was j-just wondering if you could – erm – help me?”

Albus’ heart skipped a beat as Scorpius smiled wider and pushed off the cart he was leaning on to make his way over. “Sure, what with?” He spoke, grey eyes wide and kind.

Albus shuffled on his feet, feeling hot under his gaze. “I kind of need two copies of The Great Gatsby, but I can’t reach it,” he said, ashamed. He half expected Scorpius to laugh, but he did no such thing.

“Oh, of course. It’s no problem,” he pulled the ladder towards him and set it in front of the shelf. Albus, only because he didn’t know what else to do, decided to hold the ladder. “Honestly, these books up here are a nightmare. I don’t know how they expect anyone to get them when they’re so high,” Scorpius rambled as he retrieved the books from the top shelf and descended the ladder, placing them into Albus’ hands.

Albus thanked him, trying to avoid eye contact and spun on his heels. He was about to go back to Rose when Scorpius spoke up again.

“Great book.”

“Hmm?” Albus said, spinning back around.

“Gatsby, it’s a great book,” he said. He suddenly seemed a little nervous, fumbling with his hands as he watched Albus. “For a while it was at risk of being banned from being taught because of the language and sexual references throughout, but it never actually happened. However, the Baptist College in 1987 did try to ban it, but they never succeeded. I actually think it has some very important themes that need to be taught in schools and… I’m sorry… I’m rambling, ah, I tend to do that sometimes.”

Albus looked at the books in his hands, turning them over and over for something to do with his hands. He couldn’t help but find Scorpius’ little ramble absolutely adorable, but struggled to find what to say back that Scorpius – someone who was clearly intelligent - would find vaguely interesting. He shrugged, looking back up at Scorpius. “I haven’t read it.”

“Oh.” He seemed to deflate.

“I’ve watched the film though,” Albus said, scrambling to keep the conversation going. Clearly Scorpius wanted to keep the conversation going, so Albus was going to try as well.

“I have not. Dad doesn’t allow televisions at home, he says they ‘brainwash’ people or something, I don’t know, it’s stupid,” he waved it off.

“So, you’ve never watched a movie?”

“Ah,” he laughed awkwardly. “No, I haven’t. I just read books, it’s like a movie in your head.”

“Not even in the cinema?”

“I know, it’s weird. And I’d need friends to go to the cinema and I don’t have any…” he trailed off awkwardly, looking away to straighten some of the books on the shelf. Albus smiled at him, watching his nimble fingers mess with the books.

“No school friends?” Albus asked. He didn’t mean to pry, but he can’t say he’s ever met anybody who hasn’t watched a single film; ever.

Scorpius laughed self-deprecatingly and shook his head. “I’m that weird home-schooled kid who works part-time at the local library, so no, no friends at all.”

“I don’t think you're weird,” Albus said. Scorpius smiled slightly, some of the self-doubt disappearing. Albus decided to be brave, search down deep for the Potter family courage gene he knew had to be there somewhere. “Maybe…” he took a deep breath. “Maybe we could go together sometime?”

Scorpius furrowed his brows. “Go where?”

“To the cinema, to watch a film?”

“I… I would love that. I’m Scorpius, by the way.”

“Albus.”

#

Albus waited for Scorpius to get off shift that day and together they walked to the local cinema. Rose congratulated him on his date, but Albus specified that he did not ask Scorpius out on a date, but rather an outing. She winked at them both before heading home anyways, to which Albus saw Scorpius blush brightly.

Albus, being the gentleman he was and as the one who asked Scorpius here, offered to pay for the tickets. He opted to see the new live-action movie of Mulan. Scorpius said he was happy to see anything, and this happened to be one of Albus’ favourite Disney movies. He was a little worried Scorpius wouldn’t like it, though.

Scorpius bought popcorn and a drink (for them to _share!)_ as Albus said no cinema trip was complete without it. Albus led him through the cinema and into their screen, choosing seats in the middle– the perfect place. Albus was shocked at how easy it was to speak to him. They laughed all the way up until the adverts started, when they both then fell into silence.

Honestly, Albus couldn’t remember most of the film. It was one of his favourites, but he couldn’t stop watching Scorpius. He pulled the most adorable faces throughout, acting out physically during shocking moments and smiling wildly during most the songs. About halfway through, Albus decided, once again, to embrace his inner Potter and boldly grabbed Scorpius’ hand. The first time Scorpius looked away from the screen was to look at their hands, which he then squeezed and smiled sweetly at Albus.

Once the film ended, Scorpius held his hand all the way out of the cinema, raving about how good the film was. He was animated, his hands gesturing wildly, even the one holding Albus’ hand, but he didn’t seem to notice. Albus was grinning from ear to ear, watching Scorpius proudly and, for the first time in a while, he found himself feeling incredibly happy.

Scorpius slowed to a stop at a cross roads and sighed. “I’m this way.”

“Let me walk you,” Albus offered.

“That’s okay. I had a really great time tonight, Albus.” Albus loved the way Scorpius said his name, like it didn’t hold the weight of the famous football player he was named after.

“I’d ask you what you thought, but that was obvious,” Albus smiled.

Scorpius faltered slightly. “Oh, I was rambling, wasn’t I? I’m sorry, I do that a lot. Mum says it’s because I read too much and have too many words inside my head. Dad says it’s because I’m intelligent. I think it’s just because I can’t shut up and that I don’t have anyone to talk to so when I do my brain gets carried away and I’m doing it again. Sorry, I’m… sorry.”

Albus was grinning, admiring Scorpius. “I think it’s cute.”

“You… wha…?”

“You heard,” Albus said. “It’s cute.”

Scorpius was silent for a while before a small smile overcome his face. “Albus… can I… can I kiss you?” He asked shyly, struggling to keep eye contact.

“Yes.”

And then Scorpius’ lips were on his in a slow, gentle kiss. The kiss felt like coming home, like a part of him had been missing for a while and Scorpius was that missing piece. He wrapped his arms around Scorpius’ waist, and Scorpius’ own hands were held firmly on his cheeks. The kiss was long and sweet, and when they pulled away, they both smiled brightly and Albus knew then: he knew he was going to fall in love with this tall, geeky librarian who had only just watched his first movie.

**Author's Note:**

> This was like a thirty-minute challenge for myself that turned into a 45 minute challenge but I hope you liked it! I'd love to hear your thoughts.  
Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
Tumblr: @sunshinescorpiusmalfoy


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